


Choice

by notgood23



Series: Ninjago Father!AU Collection [12]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25743979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notgood23/pseuds/notgood23
Summary: He really was never one to reflect.
Relationships: Kai & Nya (Ninjago)
Series: Ninjago Father!AU Collection [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818262
Kudos: 18





	Choice

Kai had always felt at home at Skylor's apartment. It was nice, and cozy. Sometimes after a difficult day, a grueling mission, he'd come over. Make himself at home with her. It was one of those places he always felt comfortable.

But definitely not right now.

As soon as she said those words, that awful _familiar_ feeling rushed into him, gripping into his chest, curling around his stomach. Kai suddenly felt dizzy, the room around him spinning, the world changing around him _again_ , all over _again_ with just a couple of words. He had to leave. _Now._

Skylor had tried to stop him, her hand on his shoulder. But he couldn't focus, he just wanted to get out of there. He opened the door, closing it behind him as he quickly made his way down the stairs. It was ironic, really. Being a ninja really grounded his adrenaline to go into "fight" rather than "flight", but the dizzying feeling that overcame him only drove him to escape.

Kai threw open the door at the bottom of the stairs, practically stumbling into the back alley behind the restaurant. The feeling stopped abruptly before he lurched forward, and began to retch.

* * *

If he was being honest with himself, he was never a person to just slow down and really think about something. He chuckled. No wonder why his team liked to joke about some of his impulsive actions. Maybe he should fix that.

But lately all he's been up to is thinking. Reflecting. Processing…. sort of.

Kai sat alone on a rooftop in the sea of buildings that made up the Ninjago City skyline. It was getting really late at night, but the city was never truly quiet. How long had he been sitting there? Three? Maybe four hours?

Nobody called him yet. They always knew that he thoroughly enjoyed his days off. But lately, he just spent them at the same place, the same spot, for hours. He came here ever since the last time Skylor had spoken to him.

At the moment he just needed to get away. Right then and there. It was just too much. But ever since that happened, he hadn't even been able to think about it all that much. It just felt like a blur.

Kai looked up to the night sky above. You couldn't see the stars like you could at the monastery. He pictured where the constellations would be. He began to picture their locations, standing back and shoving his hands in his pockets. Maybe he should go home, instead of standing around on the tops of buildings.

Maybe, he should go back, talk to-

No. It was too late. He was never going to hear from her again. It's been months and he still called the same number only to further disappoint himself with the dial tone that replaced her voicemail message.

_We're sorry. The number you have called has been disconnected._

It just served as another reminder of the change.

Maybe he should just go home.

* * *

"I know something's up."

"Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about," Kai immediately retorted.

Nya crossed her arms, standing at the doorway to his room. "Let me in, we are not discussing this out here," she said in a hurried angry whisper.

He supposed she was right. He did come back home well into the night.

Kai stepped aside as she strode right in, sitting on his bed, crossing her arms again. He thought she'd be asleep already, but looks like he guessed wrong. Kai reluctantly took the seat next to her.

They sat in silence for a while. But he knew Nya only had to ask once. She would sit there all night, just to get an answer. Might as well get it over with.

"Skylor's pregnant."

It felt good to finally say that out loud.

"Oh, uh, that's-"

He didn't let her finish.

"I thought everything was fine the way it was. I finally felt like everything was great. I have a family, I have - _had,"_ Kai paused a second, and swallowed, "a girlfriend, and some part of my life that I actually felt was normal for once, without _another_ major responsibility. And then, she just told me, and in the moment I realized _again_ the lack of choice I've had throughout my entire life. I just...left without saying anything"

Nya placed an arm around her shoulder. "Kai, you should go back, you could talk this out with her", she said softly.

"Nya. This didn't happen today. It happened _months ago_. I didn't know how to feel about any of it. I haven't spoken to her, I haven't seen her, I don't even know what she's doing about it. All this time, I realized I hadn't had a say in any of the major events in my life. When mom and dad disappeared, I had to grow up and take care of you," he said, looking at her. "I became a ninja because I wanted to save you. I had to fulfill this role to help Lloyd achieve the prophecy. I don't regret doing any of those things, but I've never had a say in any of it, either." Kai returned his gaze to the floor. "And now I've realized that by not doing anything, I've ruined something. I should have made the choice, right then, right there. But I didn't."

Nya sat quietly for a moment, thinking of her answer.

He couldn't blame her. He literally spewed everything he had been thinking about for such a long time.

"You've always had a choice." she finally said.

Kai shifted.

"You chose to take care of me instead of letting us live with strangers," Nya continued. "You chose to stay as a ninja. You chose to fight alongside your family against all these crazy villains." She wrapped an arm around him. "You can always choose what to do next."

Kai brought her into a hug. "Thanks," he murmured.

_Maybe._

* * *

He was going to do it. He was going to find her, talk to her, apologize to her. He just had to make things right. Except Kai couldn't bring himself to walk across the street to the restaurant. But it seemed like his mind took over, pushing his steps there anyways. And then, he saw her.

Through the glass window, he could see her, lively as always, talking to the customers. He caught a glimpse of Skylor's smile, the one he missed. Her hair was up, like always, tied up in a pretty braid. She turned to the side, and his eyes settled on a growing bump, outlined by the white long-sleeve she was wearing. That apron tied around her waist barely covered it.

He swallowed.

_That's...that's his-_

His communicator started to beep.

Kai had to pull himself away, the image ingrained into his mind.

 _After this_. _I will come back._


End file.
